Longtime Martial Artist Will Screen Acclaimed Indie Film In Westchester

Depressed foster youth Ben is bullied, and as a result gets into a car accident. His recovery process is slow until Adrienne, a fellow patient at the hospital introduces him to her grandfather, a martial artist.
Video Credit: Visual Communications

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Martial artist and instructor Ik Jo Kang steps into the spotlight Wednesday, Oct. 4 during a one-night-only screening of the indie film “I Can I Will I Did” in White Plains.

The local screening will take place at 6:30 p.m. at Showcase City Center 15: Cinema Deluxe, 19 Mamaroneck Avenue in White Plains.

Kang, who lives in Old Greenwich, plays a pivotal role in the film, which won Best Feature Film at the Sunscreen Film Festival in St. Petersburg, Fla., and the Audience Choice Award at the New York Asian American Film Festival.

“I Can I Will I Did” tells the semi-autobiographical story of Ben, a bullied young man who is hit by a car.

Kang plays the martial arts instructor who not only teaches Ben how to walk again but also how to take charge of his own life.

Kang is a 2016 inductee into the United States Tae Kwon Do Grand Masters Society Hall of Fame. Over the course of his 50 years of teaching, Kang has trained thousands of school-age and adult students and inspired hundreds to pursue their study to achieve black belt status.

His school, Kang Tae Kwon Do & Hap Ki Do, is located on Sound Beach Avenue in Old Greenwich.

Ben is played by Tony-nominated Mike Faist who originated the role of Connor Murphy in the 2017 Best Musical “Dear Evan Hansen.” Faist also originated the role of Morris Delancey in Disney’s “Newsies.”

“I Can I Will I Did” is making the rounds on the festival circuit. Upcoming screenings include the Heartland Film Festival, the Napa Valley Film Festival and the Hawaii International Film Festival.